Defense: Rana was victim of a con man

Tahawwur Rana was the victim of a cunning con man who used him to ease his travel abroad as he worked with terrorists on planning the deadly 2008 attack in Mumbai.

"Nothing is simple when it comes to David Headley," Rana's attorney, Patrick Blegen, said of the government's star witness. " … He thinks he can fool everyone."

Rana, 50, faces charges that he helped Headley, 50, his friend from childhood, by letting him travel as a representative of his immigration business for his overseas trips to scout targets for the terror attack that killed some 170 people in India's largest city.

He is also accused of helping Headley in a plot to attack a Denmark newspaper that was never carried out. He has denied all wrongdoing.

Blegen picked up the closing arguments where the defense began nearly three weeks ago – that Rana was left out of the plotting and was simply duped by his friend.

Headley, who pleaded guilty to avoid the death penalty, testified that Rana was aware that he was acting as a scout for the terrorist plots when he traveled to Denmark and India as a representative of Rana's business.

Headley testified for five days at the trial, providing insight into how an international terrorism plot unfolded. He said he plotted with several Pakistani terrorists – including members of Lashkar-e-Taiba and others with links toal Qaida – in preparing for both the Mumbai attack and the Denmark assault.

Over the course of the trial, Rana's attorneys pounded home a message that Headley was given to lying and using people to his advantage. They played up his heroin smuggling, previous work as an informant for Drug Enforcement Administration and multiple wives. In opening statements two weeks ago, they called him a "master manipulator" who tricked his friend, wondering why the government had cut a deal with him.

In closing arguments for the government, Assistant U.S. Attorney Victoria Peters called Headley "an awful man" but said he still carried a treasure trove of information about international terrorism and that theFBI was duty-bound to meet with him and find out what he knows.

Federal prosecutors wrapped up a two-hour closing argument this morning in Chicago’s most significant terrorism case by addressing the shadow that has hung over the trial of Tahawwur Rana from the start – David Coleman Headley, his childhood friend and the government’s star witness.

Rana, 50, faces charges that he helped Headley, an admitted terrorist, by allowing him to travel as a representative of Rana’s Chicago business, First World Immigration Services, for his overseas trips to scout targets for the 2008 terror attacks that killed some 170 people in India's largest city. He is also accused of helping Headley in a plot to attack a Denmark newspaper that was never carried out. Rana has denied all wrongdoing.

Headley testified for five days at the trial, providing insight into how an international terrorism plot unfolded and how he plotted with several Pakistani terrorists – including members of Lashkar-e-Taiba and others with links to al Qaida – to orchestrate the Mumbai attack and plot the Denmark assault.

But Rana's attorneys pounded home a message that Headley was given to lying and using people to his advantage. They played up his heroin smuggling, previous work as an informant for Drug Enforcement Administration and multiple wives. In opening statements two weeks ago, they called him a "master manipulator" who tricked his friend, wondering why the government had cut a deal with him.

In her closing arguments, Assistant U.S. Attorney Victoria Peters called Headley "an awful man" but said he still carried a treasure trove of information about international terrorism and that theFBI was duty-bound to meet with him.

Peters also walked the jury through dozens of documents, including emails and transcripts from secretly recorded conversations she said verified what Headley said – that Rana knew what he was doing and he was very much involved with the conspiracy. Six others have also been indicted in the conspiracy but none was ever arrested.

"He had help. He had help from this man," Peters said in reference to Rana. "…The evidence is overwhelming and it comes at every turn of this case.”

Patrick Blegen, Rana's lawyer, was scheduled to begin his closing argument this afternoon.

Prosecutors: Terror defendant was 'no dupe'

1:08 p.m. CDT, June 7, 2011

Prosecutors immediately struck at the heart of the defense for Tahawwur Rana as closing arguments began this morning in Chicago's most significant terrorism case.

"Tahawwur Rana, (who) you hear chatting freely about terrorism, is no dupe. He has not been fooled," said Assistant U.S. Attorney Vicki Peters.

Rana, 50, faces charges that he helped his childhood friend, admitted terrorist David Coleman Headley, 50, by allowing him to travel as a representative of his business, First World Immigration Services, for his overseas trips to scout targets for the terror attacks that killed some 170 people in India's largest city.

He is also accused of helping Headley in a plot to attack a Denmark newspaper that was never carried out.

Headley, who pleaded guilty to his role to avoid the death penalty, testified that Rana was aware that he was acting as a scout for the plots when he traveled to Denmark and Mumbai, India, as a representative of Rana's business.

Rana's attorneys have contended throughout the federal trial that Headley was given to lying and using people to his advantage. In opening statements two weeks ago, they called him a "master manipulator" who tricked his friend.

In her closing argument, Peters referred to several other documents – emails and transcripts from secretly-recorded conversations – that she argued countered any notion that Rana was unaware of what was happening.

Rana's name pops up in several emails involving co-conspirators.

Headley testified for five days at the trial, providing insight into how an international terrorism plot unfolded. Headley said he worked with several Pakistani terrorists, including members of Lashkar-e-Taiba, to orchestrate the Mumbai attack and plot the Denmark assault.